The celebration of St. John Cassian at the Episcopal Cathedral in Montreal

With the establishment of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada in 2016, the diocese was given the protection of St. Apostle Andrew and St. John Cassian from Dobrogea. Every year, St. John Cassian is specially venerated at the Cathedral of the Romanian Orthodox in Montreal, because he is one of the protectors of the Diocese of Canada who represents the image of the Christian mission and the model of the monk labouring in the service of the Church.

The celebration of St. John Cassian began with the service of Vespers and the Litia, officiated at the Cathedral in Montreal by His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian, surrounded by a group of priests.

The next day, starting at 10:00 am, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian, surrounded by a group of priests and deacons, officiated the Divine Liturgy. The serving clergy included Protos. Maxim Morariu – the Ecclesiarch of the Episcopal Cathedral and inspector, Protos. Corneliu Andrașco – Exarch of the Monasteries, Fr. Adrian Manea – priest, and Deacon Valentin Boțu.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, according to tradition, the TeDeum service was held in honor of the feast day of the diocesan hierarch, during which the clergy and the faithful offered prayers of thanksgiving to God for the blessings poured upon the diocese through the work and service of His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada.

After the usual Polychronion, the hierarch delivered a sermon in which he highlighted the missionary work of St. John Cassian and placed in the Cathedral for veneration by the clergy and the faithful present a piece of relic of him which was given as a gift from the Romanian Diocese of Italy.

Protos. Corneliu Andrasco